Video: Drama Captures Plight of Homeless Female VetsTheatrical director Jon Bernson and filmmaker Mimi Chakarova join forces to bring stories of homeless veterans and PTSD to the stage. In June, the Tides Theatre and the Center for Investigative Reporting embarked on a collaboration of one-act plays that translate traditional investigative journalism into theatrical productions. "A Guide to the Aftermath" is based on Chakarova's reporting on female veterans living on Skid Row.

Veterans of Long-Past Wars Find Hope in PTSD Diagnosis More than a quarter-million veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, but younger vets aren't the only ones dealing with it. Even today, veterans from conflicts as far back as World War II struggle with symptoms.

How Families and Veterans' Cope With the Return Home As the U.S. winds down its presence in Afghanistan, more service members are coming home to their families. With this comes many adjustments: physical, emotional, financial and others. And soldiers must reintegrate themselves into the lives of their spouses, partners and children.

Despite Need, No Plans to Add Veterans Health Centers When it opened in 2010, the VA health clinic at City College of San Francisco was touted as a model for the future — the first health care offered by the agency on a college campus. But three years later, there is no plan for a widespread national rollout. Although nearly 1 million veterans used the GI Bill to go to college last year, the VA says its health care system so far has served 6,000 on fewer than three dozen campuses.

Her War: The Aftermath of Military Sexual AssaultSince 1990, the number of women veterans in the United States has doubled to 1.8 million. But a lot of female veterans, especially those who are younger, don't consider themselves veterans at all - they incorrectly assume that a "vet" must have served in combat. Thus, many of their stories remain hidden from the public eye. Director Mimi Chakarova discusses how she reached out to this population.

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Map: Where Is the Veterans' Backlog the Worst?Compare backlogs and wait times at the 58 VA regional offices on this interactive map. Data on the number of veterans waiting, the number of veterans waiting more than 125 days, and the average delays veterans face update weekly, tracking in real time whether the VA is living up to its promises to improve.

As home to more than 1.8 million military veterans, the state of California has the largest population of veterans in the country. Throughout the Golden State, veterans strive to rebuild their lives, secure employment and gain access to education, often while battling a wide range of emotional and physical challenges related to their time in service. KQED and the Center for Investigative Reporting examined the challenges faced by members of the armed forces when they return home and the different organizations providing services that can save lives.